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Sam Shields went into camp a year ago up to the Super Bowl XLV ring tattoo on his neck in questions of whether or not he had the resolve to maintain a role in the Green Bay Packers’ secondary.

Davon House, Jarrett Bush and even rookie Casey Hayward were breezing past him on the depth chart while coverage concerns, missed tackles and botched assignments lingered into the opening stage of camp.

Then, Shields developed an elbow injury that proved to be a blessing as the 6-foot cornerback returned weeks later more confident in his ability and assignment sure.

In the autumn of his fourth camp with the Packers, the former undrafted free agent has all been anointed as starter at perhaps the deepest positional group on the roster. As Tramon Williams remains laid up with a knee bruise, Shields has been walking tall.

“I like to let them decide who’s going to lock up what,” Packers cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt said. “But the way he’s practiced and the way he’s done it has been so clean, it’d be hard for me to believe that he’s not going to be one of those two, if not the top one. It’d be hard for me to believe that. Just the way that he’s performed and the things that he’s done.”

Whitt quickly couched his words by noting that Williams’ spot at the top of the food chain isn't endangered. It's just that every job must be earned.

One thing Shields' maturation has afforded the Packers is the ability to be more flexible in their assignments. For instance, an overall sense of confidence in their stable of cornerbacks has allowed the secondary to scrap the shutdown cornerback philosophy it’s been utilizing throughout coordinator Dom Capers’ tenure.

Instead of taking their “top” cornerback and matching them against their best opposing receiver regardless of the side he lines up on, the Packers plan to keep their starting cornerbacks on their own separate islands, greeting whatever opposition drifts their way.

“I told the group that I didn’t want to match this year,” Whitt said. “I want to go left and right and make sure that you have the ability to handle the guy that comes to your side. Now, if we get into a situation where a guy can’t handle him, we’ll definitely match. But as of right now, we’re going to play left and right and not match.”

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As it stands, Shields and rookie Micah Hyde have been lining up as the starting cornerbacks in the 3-4 base defense with House rotating in during the nickel sub-packages and Hyde minding Hayward’s spot in the slot.

A defensive rookie of the year candidate last season, Hayward missed nearly the first month of camp with a hamstring injury he developed in training before camp and needs work to catch up, according to Whitt.

Presumably, he’ll still have a definite role on defense at some point after a six-interception rookie season. Meanwhile, Hyde has made a compelling argument for playing time based on the camp he’s having.

Given his unique combination of coverage ability and size (6-0, 197), he could even make a run at the dime cornerback role currently filled by safety Jerron McMillian, who serves as an in-the-box defender in the defense.

“Micah has shown the ability to come in and play with the play speed that we’ve been looking for, the toughness,” Whitt said. “Like I told the room, he’s deserving of where he is right now. He wasn’t there at the beginning of camp. He was probably the seventh guy in the room coming into camp. He has been deserving of his opportunities because of the way he has practiced, the way that he’s played when it mattered.”

As for Shields, a breakthrough camp couldn’t have come with better timing as he’ll be an unrestricted free agent after the season, currently working under the perimeters of a one-year, $2.023 million restricted tender this season.

Shields wants to remain a Packer and wouldn’t mind adding a couple additional zeros to the undrafted deal he agreed to in 2010, but he’s also focused on becoming a well-rounded cornerback.

Thus far, he’s off to a promising start. According to Pro Football Focus, Shields has allowed one completion for 17 yards on 25 defensive snaps over the first two preseason games.

“He’s had a very good training camp,” Capers said. “I think about where Sam was when he first came in here and he hadn’t played much defensive back, and we stuck him out there in 2010. I remember our first game we were back playing Philadelphia and we said, ‘Hey we’re going to sink or swim,’ and he went out there and did a good job.

“He’s continued every year to get better in terms of becoming a complete football player.”